Which type of bag do you use?

[shyjade]

Which type of bag do you think is the best for the parks? I'll be the only adult and traveling with one child.

Fanny pack, backpack, tote bag...which do you prefer?

 

[Eljay]

You don't say how old the child is, but I like a small-ish to medium-ish sized backpack. Any larger and you have trouble stowing it on rides.
Have fun!

 

[lindakmonty]

we took a backpack for ds5 and I also took a fannypack but mainly just to hold my $ and camera. The backpack was good for snacks, drinks, sunglasses, sunscreen... that fun stuff.

 

[BamaFan121s]

I manage to get everything in our camera bag and either put it in the compartment under our stroller (that we bring from home, it folds down very small) or when we don't take the stroller to the parks (kid is close to too big for it so we leave it sometimes) we don't take the camera bag and if it won't fit in our pockets, we don't take it.

I have actually seen people load up with rolling suitcases walking around in the parks before. Sorry, but I just don't think I would personally enjoy pulling a suitcase or toting a heavy, filled bad all day. Just me though.

 

[heatherfeather24]

I am completely anti-fannypack in my everyday life, but it's my favorite way to tote all my junk at the parks. I get hot very easily, so a backpack doesn't work for me -- it just leaves my back a sweaty mess . I also want my hands free to take pictures, point things out, etc. So, the fannypack works best for me.

My fannypack stash includes:
Park Passes/room key
Fast passes
Cash (minimal amount since we usually charge everything to the room)
ID
Small tube of sunblock
Camera
Purell (hand sanitizer -- public bathroom sinks gross me out)
Digital camera
Park map (more for souvenier purposes than because I really need it anymore )
Gum/mints


Anything else is too much to lug around.

 

[kellyf2626]

DH and I cram everything into our camera bag! We don't have any children yet, so I know this may change when we have kids with us. But, we manage to fit the movie camera, digital camera, id/cash/tickets/room keys, hand sanitizer, small brush, lip balm, and sunscreen!!

 

[scheddj]

I do the fannypack too. I know it's not cool, but it seems like lugging anything else around would be a real pain in the (insert appropriate body part here - word only not actual physical part ).

 

[thelionqueen]

I use the messenger bag! It's perfect for rain ponchos, umbrellas, snacks, you name it. And it's narrow enough not to be a huge burden. I swing it around and don't even notice it half the time.

I also like "The Everything Bag" for travel which I just bought on QVC (or HSN) It was only $16.00 and it has compartments for everything.

 

[exwdwcm]

small backpack (disney!) for me. slings around one shoulder, zips up. has multiple pockets good for sunglases, pancho, cell phone, camera etc.

 

[Rella Bella]

I am completely anti-fannypack in my everyday life, but it's my favorite way to tote all my junk at the parks. I get hot very easily, so a backpack doesn't work for me -- it just leaves my back a sweaty mess . I also want my hands free to take pictures, point things out, etc. So, the fannypack works best for me.

My fannypack stash includes:
Park Passes/room key
Fast passes
Cash (minimal amount since we usually charge everything to the room)
ID
Small tube of sunblock
Camera
Purell (hand sanitizer -- public bathroom sinks gross me out)
Digital camera
Park map (more for souvenier purposes than because I really need it anymore )
Gum/mints

Anything else is too much to lug around.

Right on! I won't go without my fanny pack!
The only thing she forgot to put in was the Cheap rain poncho!!
(We all wear our own. DS carries his autograph book & pen too. We tried the backpack idea but we were always having to move it around, stow it on rides and it really was hot.)

 

[daisyduck123]

I fit everything I need (camera, maps, wallet, wipes, etc.) in my Mickey messenger bag. I love it!!

 

[SteinsLaFemme]

I'm a fanny pack user at the parks. In my everyday life, I never use them.

When my kids were small and I had to carry a lot of stuff, I used a very large fanny pack which was the size of a small backpack. I now use a regular size one.

Backpacks make my back hot and messenger bags and backpacks used on only one shoulder feel heavy after a while. I never used a regular tote bag but I think it would be annoying.

 

[tjmw2727]

I travel as the solo adult with my dd's and we all wear a fanny pack. It is the one and only place I would wear a fanny pack, I wear it in front fwiw.

The girls each have an autograph book and pen, water bottle strap, small snack and a few shiny pennies and quarters for the machines in a small FP. I carry all the park passes, my wallet, small digital camera, 3-4 crystal lite singles and 3 disposable dollar store ponchos.

Last trip the girls had baseball hats autographed instead of books so I carried a sharpie and the rest of their stuff and they just had the water bottle strap and wore the hats.

Occasionally if we have more stuff to carry we skip the fanny packs and I carry a messenger bag but I prefer the fanny pack. On rides with the messenger bag I either put the bag by my feet with the loop over my leg or use the net bags many of the rides in the seats for my bag.

Honestly, once the girls were to old for a stroller I wondered how I was going to carry all our stuff. In the long run we reallly didn't need all we used to bring. We would bring snacks but they would really want an ice cream or popcorn anyway so we often didn't eat the snacks. Now I just budget a bit more for snacks and nice cold waters.

TJ

 

[ILoveMagic]

My Ds (8) and myself went on spring break this year. I took his LL bean school backpack. I packed a few snacks 1 bottled water, wet wipes, camera, autograph book , pen and kleenex (small package). In the evenings it was chilly . So................we also ended up packing 2 jackets since we would not be going back to our room. I definetly say a backpack!!

 

[LoveWDW]

Teardrop bag. I brought a messenger bag also, and used it a couple times when I folded up jackets and carried them in it, but otherwise the teardrop bag was more convenient- they fit over one shoulder. My husband carried it, and I used a small fanny pack that I wore in front.

 

[Bev J]

Fanny pack all the way. Easy to get through the security check and I am not tempted to carry too much stuff around.
Our kids all carry their own FP also for their camera, sunglasses and some cash.

Bev

 

[sjams]

I have to vote for the backpack myself. We didn't take one and had to end up buying one at WDW That was expensive to me who had left 4 perfectly good ones at home thinking "na, I don't need one of those, the fanny pack and messanger bag will be fine". So when in doubt take one and you can decide later when you get there. DH carried the backpack and I had the messenger bag and it worked for us. With kids you carry so much more than you think you will.

Hope this help and HAVE FUN!

 

[momof2cutegirls]

Vera Bradley back pack all the way...I can fit a couple of diapers, small pack of wipes, my camera, and wallet. It's not a huge bulky school-type backpack, so it fits well against my back and really is comfortable! I use this all the time, not just in parks!

 

[ricktib]

Ditto on the camera bag. But when we want to bring in drinks and/or sweatshirts, DW brings a small backpack.

 

[SaraMc]

I use our mini messenger bag. Or as DH has so lovely named it The themepark purse. We got our origninal one at Eddie Baurer. It has a place for a water bottle on the side, a small id holder that has a zipper that is perfect for resort Id's. Inside it can hold our camera, a small change purse with some $$ in it a bottle of sunscreen if I remember to bring it with me. And DH and my sunglesses in thier hard cases.
Now Im sure this is going to change, infact I know that this is going to change as next time we go we will have a 6 month old little guy. So It may get bigger but that's what we have taken on our last 3 trips together.